School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives

School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives

Synopsis

School Bullying: Insights and Perspectivesgives a succinct and authoritative account of research into the nature and extent of bullying in schools and the ways in which it can be reduced. The book investigates the success of a number of different approaches to the problem of school bullying including strategies such as developing a school-wide policy, use of classroom and curriculum materials, training lunchtime supervisors, improving the playground environment and working directly with students involved in bullying situations. This book will be essential reading for all teachers and professionals wishing to reduce the problem of bullying in their schools.

Excerpt

It is likely that bullying has gone on in schools for as long as schools have existed. In recent years, systematic investigation has confirmed that it is a pervasive phenomenon. At the same time, many parents and teachers have become more determined that action must be taken to stop severe bullying. It is clear that bullying can blight the life of many pupils who experience it, while those pupils who get away with bullying others are learning values at odds with any proper preparation for citizenship. Schools have become increasingly aware that bullying is a problem to be addressed, and that doing so openly will get grateful recognition from parents and pupils.

In the last few years, many more resources have become available to help schools, teachers, governors and parents deal effectively with bullying situations, and assist pupils who get involved in them. But how useful are these different approaches? Do they work?

In this book, we survey investigations into bullying generally, but also document in some detail the researches carried out over the last four years in Sheffield. This work has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (Swindon), and by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK branch, London); and, over the last three years, by the Department for Education (London). This funding has enabled a team of researchers based here to monitor and evaluate the success of different kinds of approaches and interventions used by schools. We hope that, together with the efforts